NHTSA Complaint #11699970 — 2024 MAZDA CX-30

Component/System: Automatic transmission (requires full replacement). The vehicle is currently located at Safford Mazda of Fredericksburg, 10653 Patriot Hwy, Fredericksburg, VA, 22408, and is available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: The transmission developed a loud whining and grinding noise while driving, indicating imminent risk of sudden loss of motive power or seizure. This creates a severe crash hazard, especially on highways or during acceleration/merging. Sudden loss of propulsion without warning can leave the driver unable to accelerate, maintain speed, or move out of harm’s way. The problem has been reproduced and confirmed by Safford Mazda (authorized Mazda dealer). On October 16, 2025, they diagnosed the vehicle as requiring a complete transmission replacement (Repair Order/Multi-Point Inspection Video is available). The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives, but remains at the dealership awaiting parts. Starting approximately in late August, a transmission whine started zero warning lights or alerts ever appearing. Noise rapidly worsened. [XXX]: expert friend drove it once, instantly recognized imminent failure, and ordered me to stop driving immediately. At ~20,000 miles, the dealer confirmed the drive unit must be fully replaced, still with no dashboard warning ever triggered. Had I kept driving while trusting the silent system, this critical component could have seized at any moment, causing sudden total loss of propulsion at highway speed or in traffic with my young child on board. The complete absence of any alert during a proven, progressive failure is an urgent, unacceptable safety defect that demands immediate investigation and recall before a family is injured or killed. As of [XXX] , the vehicle has been out of service for 33+ calendar days. The dealer informed me I am #60 in Mazda’s national transmission replacement backlog. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)